A review of the novel “Precipice” by Robert Harris
June 22nd, 2025 by Roger Darlington
Can you imagine a sitting British Prime Minister – on his second marriage and father to seven children – taking time off from affairs of state, on the edge of the greatest war the world had ever seen, to write these words to a society woman some half his age: “thinking & remembering & longing & hoping: and all thoughts & memories & longings & hopes centre around & in one person”?
This was 61 year old Liberal PM Herbert Asquith writing to 26 year old Venetia Stanley in late 1914 and early 1915 in a correspondence that involved several letters a day every single day (at the time, there were 12 daily deliveries in London). He eventually burnt all her letters but she kept all of his and some 560 still survive.
It is around this utterly astonishing correspondence that Harris has created the latest of his 16 bestselling novels (this is the tenth that I’ve consumed), quoting Asquith’s actual words and imagining those of Stanley. The author is an excellent storyteller and this is one of his most absorbing novels yet. As always, his research is deep and his narrative compelling, even when – as is so often the case with his historical novels – we know the outcome.
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A review of the new film “Ballerina”
June 22nd, 2025 by Roger Darlington
If you liked the John Wick action movies – and I loved all the four (so far) films in the franchises – then you’ll definitely want to see this satisfying spin-off, set in a time period between the third and fourth adventures and containing a cameo role from Keanu Reeves as the unbeatable assassin.
This time we have a female lead, Cuban/Spanish actress Ana de Armas (remember her from “No Time To Die”?) as Eve Macarro, a member of a school of assassins fronted by a Russian ballet company – hence the title. Also, we have a new director: Len Wiseman. New locations include the Czech capital Prague and the Austrian village Hallstatt.
But the non-stop action – mainly martial arts combat – is again front and centre and this time the armoury includes grenades and flamethrowers. Expect lots of violence and a massive body count.
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It’s time that I came to terms with AI
June 16th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
Like many men in now their 70s, I came late to computing – and I would probably have come even later if it hadn’t been for the fact that I was asked to become Head of Research when the Communication Workers Union (CWU) was created in 1995. This made me head of a team of young researchers, all of whom were comfortable working with PCs and gradually so did I.
On the other hand, I was a quick adopter of the web. I created a personal site in 1999 and it’s still going. And I was quick to use social media: I started a blog in 2003 and it’s still running. I’ve been a long-term user of Facebook and post something almost everyday.
However, I’ve been slow to take on board artificial intelligence (AI). I guess it’s because I retired fully from the work of work seven years ago. So I don’t feel that I really need to use AI. On the other hand, as AI becomes ever more ubiquitous, I feel that I really need to understand it better.
I have read a book on the subject and I will shortly be attending a couple of lectures. But what better way to appreciate AI that to use it? So, this weekend, I downloaded three bots – ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Perplexity ai – and I’m going to experiment with them.
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A review of the new film “The Salt Path”
June 12th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
For Staffordshire couple Raynor and Moth Winn, life suddenly went horribly wrong when they became homeless following a disastrous investment and he was diagnosed with a debilitating and ultimately terminal illness. In an act of sheer desperation, they decide to walk the South West Coast Path, a 630-mile trek around the coastline of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. On the way, Moth finds that exercise and nature are better than medication and Ray discovers that she will do anything for him in what is essentially a very moving love story.
Raynor Winn subsequently turned the experience into a bestselling memoir titled “The Salt Path” which was published in 2018 (two more volumes have now followed) and, seven years later, this screen adaptation covers the first half of that challenge and concludes with an encounter with an eccentric woman that provides the enigmatic title for both book and film: “Yes, you have the look … When it’s touched you, when you let it be , you’ll never be the same again … You’re salted.”
Gillian Anderson as Ray and Jason Isaacs as Moth are excellent and a trio of women – writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz, cinematographer Hélène Louvart and director Marianne Elliott – do their best to turn this astonishing tale of redemption into an engaging film, but the narrative is little more than a series of small moments with no real drama. The film was funded by the BBC and it will definitely have an audience on the small screen, but audiences will not flock to the cinema to view it.
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A review of the classic British film “Darling” (1965)
June 1st, 2025 by Roger Darlington
For many, Britain in the sixties was an exciting place, full of love and liberation, Bond and the Beatles. This film, however, presents a dark view (it was even made in black & white) of the upper middle class of the time and it is a biting satire of the vapid and vacuous lifestyles of people in the upper reaches of fashion, business and media. The clipped dialogue, the casual sex, and the amorality of most of the characters often make for uncomfortable viewing.
It’s surprising that the film was made at all: there was no big American name (the lead male roles were filled by Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Harvey), the central female character was played by a newcomer (it was the first leading role for Julie Christie), while none of the characters is likeable and the ending is thoroughly downbeat. No wonder it struggled to acquire the necessary funding.
And yet it won three Academy Awards and five BAFTAs and its reissue in a restored version after 60 years underlines its status as a classic.
I’ve seen the film at the cinema twice: first shortly after its release and then after its restoration. The homophobia of some of the characters in the film is now rather ironic, given that both Bogarde and Harvey played dashing heterosexuals when in the private life they were gay,. When the titular character, beautiful Diana Scott, marries an Italian Prince and Princess Diana finds herself bored with her life and hounded by the media, today one can’t help thinking of another Diana.
Then and now, the work wreaks of hypocrisy and pretence, so a work to admire rather than like.
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A review of the blockbuster movie “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”
May 31st, 2025 by Roger Darlington
For the eighth time in almost 30 years, Ethan Hunt completes an impossible mission, this time saving the entire global population from death or control by a super version of AI called The Entity. If the basic premise seems familiar, that’s because – in spite of a title change – this movie is narratively a sequel to the last, when we were warned that “The key is only the beginning”.
In the process, actor and co-producer Tom Cruise, who has performed breathtaking stunts in every film taking him into his 60s, and latterly director and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie, who has helmed the last four of the films, have performed their own version of the impossible: making movie after movie in which the plot veers between the incomprehensible and the risible but the action is endlessly – again this is a work of nearly three hours – thrilling and enjoyable.
Whatever you say about Cruise, he is a star and, whatever you say about McQuarrie, the furiously kinetic action, combined with superb cinematography, brilliant cutting and pounding soundtrack, delivers some of the best in absolute entertainment. I’ve seen each film as it was released, whenever possible – as this time – in IMAX, and, for sheer consistency, this has to be a contender for the best action franchise in the history of the cinema. Just don’t ask what it all means and, now I feel, just don’t ask for any more.
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Fika – what does it mean and why is it so important in Swedish culture?
May 30th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
Fika is often translated as “a coffee and cake break”, which is kind of correct, but really it is much more than that.
Fika is a concept, a state of mind, an attitude and an important part of Swedish culture. Many Swedes consider that it is almost essential to make time for fika every day.
It means making time for friends and colleagues to share a cup of coffee (or tea) and a little something to eat. Fika cannot be experienced at your desk by yourself. That would just be taking coffee and cake.
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A review of the book “Four Thousand Weeks” by Oliver Burkeman (2021)
May 29th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
For many years, Burkeman wrote a column on psychology for the “Guardian” newspaper entitled ‘This Column Will Change Your Life’ which I read often. This work could be subtitled ‘This Book Will Change Your Life’ and it was recommended to me by a friend who works for Facebook. The title rests on the calculation that, assuming you live to be 80, then you will have about 4,000 weeks. For me personally, the sobering implication is that I would have already lived 96.25% of my life or, put another way, I might only have left less than 4% or about 150 weeks.
Burkeman quotes many philosophers but not the one (Marcus Aurelius) whose stoicism is perhaps most descriptive of his approach: “You have to accept that there will always be too much to do, that you can’t avoid tough choices or make the world run at your preferred speed; that no experience, least of all close relationships with other human beings, can ever be guaranteed in advance to turn out painlessly and well – and that, from a cosmic viewpoint, when’s it’s over, it won’t have counted for very much anyway.”
The fundamental message of Burkeman’s book will seem obvious and yet, if truly accepted and embraced, can bring about a transformational view of one’s life: “The core challenge of managing our limited time isn’t about how to get everything done – that’s never going to happen – but how to decide wisely what not to do, and how to feel at peace about not doing it.”
The book is well-written and very readable with lots of insights, aphorisms and tips, but nothing mind-blowingly original. If I had to highlight and summarise three particularly important points, they would be: 1) Decide what you want to do with your limited time and leave the rest alone; 2) Really focus on what you have prioritised and don’t allow yourself to be distracted or diverted; 3) Plan each day and enjoy ticking off what you’ve completed that day. Not rocket science – but, done well, life changing.
Links:
author’s website click here
my advice of “How To Use Time Well” click here
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Would you want to know if you are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease?
May 19th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
In the UK, there are currently around one million cases of people with dementia. Some 60-70% of all cases of dementia are a form of Alzheimer’s disease.
In Alzheimer’s disease, certain proteins build up in the brain. One protein called amyloid forms sticky clumps called ‘plaques’ outside the brain cells. Another protein known as ‘Tau’ collects inside the brain cells forming structures called ‘tangles’. Together, these deposits lead to inflammation of the brain, ultimately resulting in damage to the brain. This process can begin up to 20 years before any signs of Alzheimer’s disease appear (e.g., memory issues, difficulty in decision-making, etc).
There are several tests to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. These include checking a person’s memory, ability to make decisions and coping with day-to-day activities. They also look for the presence of amyloid and Tau proteins in the brain or the fluid around the brain and the spine, called cerebrospinal fluid.
One way to see the proteins in the brain is with a special type of scan called a PET scan (positron emission tomography). Before the scan, a small amount of a safe radioactive material (called a ‘Tracer’) is injected into a vein. This helps the scan show where the proteins are in the brain.
Another way is by collecting a small sample of the fluid around the brain and spine. This is done with a needle in the lower back and is called a lumbar puncture or ‘spinal tap’. Only specially trained doctors do this, and it happens during a hospital visit.
These tests (PET scan and lumbar puncture) along with other checks, help doctors confirm if someone has Alzheimer’s disease.
New technology is now emerging which can help to detect Alzheimer’s disease earlier by using a simple blood test. This test looks for special substances in the blood, called ‘biomarkers’. Biomarkers can show if someone might have a disease, how it is changing, or how well treatment is working. In Alzheimer’s disease, the important biomarkers are small pieces of the amyloid and Tau proteins. These can be found in the blood and indicate changes in the brain before any symptoms appear.
If the test is positive, it may mean there is a higher likelihood that the person has Alzheimer’s disease. Finding the disease earlier can help people start treatment sooner, which may slow it down and lead to better outcomes for patients. These biomarkers are now being tested in research studies to see how useful they are in spotting Alzheimer’s disease in people who might be at risk. They are usually used alongside memory tests. In the future, blood-based biomarker tests might be used instead of PET scans and lumbar punctures to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.
Research has improved our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. This has led to the development of newer treatments that can slow down the disease process in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. These are known as disease-modifying drugs. Two examples are lecanemab and donanemab. These treatments work by helping to remove amyloid from the brain.
Disease modifying drugs are for patients who have early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or have mild cognitive impairment. To receive these anti-amyloid treatments, a person must first have a positive blood biomarker test to show signs of Alzheimer’s . At present these drugs are not approved for use in the NHS.
For seven years, I have been a participant in a programme with the acronym CHARIOT: PRO * which is a series of studies looking at risk factors associated with dementia. Recently I became a member of an Advisory Panel which inputs a lay element into discussions around blood-based biomarker tests. Would you want such a test and would you want to know the result?
* CHARIOT: PRO = Cognitive Health in Ageing Register: Investigational, Observational and Trial Studies in Dementia Research: Prospective Readiness Cohort Study
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A reminder on VE Day:
May 8th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
About 2.5 million personnel from the Indian subcontinent, more than 1 million African-Americans, 1 million people from Africa and tens of thousands of people from the Caribbean fought for the allies during World War Two.
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